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I came up to London and bought a black pair. I had read about Hugo Boss’s Piñatex trainers and I really wanted some. In terms of discovering Ananas Anam, it actually started with another pair of trainers. It was when I considered the animal welfare aspect of this lifestyle, that I fully converted. I started to see the health benefits of a plant-based diet early on, but I was still only eating vegan food at home. My wife was already a vegan, but for me it was a slightly slower process. Why and how did you get involved in Piñatex?Ībout four years ago, I started the transition to veganism. In an exclusive interview, The Week spoke to Chris Smalling about his unusual business venture which he hopes will lead to more fashion and footwear innovations, possibly on the pitch with performance boots crafted with a tropical kick. Aside from Nike, big name fashion clients include H&M and Hugo Boss, which goes to show that the company is ripe for the picking. The project, a collaboration between Hermès and biomaterial company MycoWorks, is part of a three-year contractual agreement, so it’s safe to say that Hermès will be releasing more ’shroom bags in the near future.Īs for Piñatex, the future looks bright: Nike’s involvement will no doubt shine a spotlight on this innovative company which already works with an impressive 800 global brands, providing faux leather for accessories and shoes that is both durable and tactile. The French maison rechristened the textile “Sylvania”, and created a prototype of its Victoria briefcase cast in this supple material, which was treated in the same tanneries as the label’s leather handbags. In March, luxury leather brand Hermès released a travel bag made out of mushroom “leather”, or more precisely the mycelium fibres found in fungi. The good news is that Piñatex is part of a bigger move towards more sustainable textiles in fashion derived from plant-based products, resulting in fashion items that are not only more eco-friendly, but fair trade, providing a valuable source of income to poorer communities who are able to make use of raw materials that would otherwise be discarded. According to Business Insider, more than 300 million pairs of trainers are thrown out annually and some plastic soles can take up to 1,000 years to decompose.
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She soon attracted investors, including footie star Smalling who’s also proved to be the perfect high-profile ambassador, asserting his influence on Nike, a loyal sponsor of his for many years.Īlthough parts of the trainers are fashioned from Piñatex, it’s a positive step towards a more sustainable solution for this footwear type, notoriously bad for the environment. Remarkably, she founded the company in her sixties having completed a PhD in textiles at London’s Royal College of Art as a mature student. Carmen Hijosa who wanted to find a sustainable alternative to leather having spent 15 years in the design and manufacturing of leather goods. Based in London’s Somerset House, Ananas Anam is the brainchild of Dr. Roma footballer Chris Smalling, a committed vegan and former Manchester United defender, is an investor in the company that has developed the product. Earth Day: sustainable fashion giving the world a helping handĪ.S.